Buffy's Covenant
by PhoenixRae
Summary: His remains weren't found in the ruins left by the burnt down barn. No one knew what happened to him or where he went, but he was back now and intent on draining the power of the one person he underestimated...
1. Prologue: Foreword

**Disclaimer:** _The Covenant_ and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ are not of my own creation. They belong to Sony Pictures / J.S. Cardone & Joss Whedon. Also the text used in this chapter aren't mine; they're borrowed from the opening credits of the movie and the TV series.

**PhoenixRae's Notes:** This story pretty much picks up where the movie ended and post-season 7 of BtVS.

**Summary:** His remains weren't found in ruins left by the burnt down barn. No one knew what happened to him or where he went, but he was back now and intent on draining the power of the one person he underestimated...

**Buffy's Covenant  
**by PhoenixRae

* * *

**Prologue: Foreword**

_No one really knows how The Power came to be._

_Not even the Book of Damnation recorded its beginning.  
But those who mastered it have always been hunted._

_In the middle of the 17th Century, many  
escaped the brutal Witch-hunting in England  
and France by coming to America._

_As the brutal prosecution of those with The Power  
spread throughout Massachusetts, the families of  
Ipswich formed a Covenant of silence._

_And for 300 years, it has kept them safe._

_Until now.

* * *

_

_Into each generation a Slayer is born._

_One girl in all the world, a Chosen One._

_One born with the strength and skill to fight  
the vampires, to stop the spread of their  
evil and the swell of their numbers._


	2. I Wake Up Call

**Disclaimer:** _The Covenant_ and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ are not of my own creation. They belong to Sony Pictures / J.S. Cardone & Joss Whedon.

**PhoenixRae's Notes:** The timeline is set to present (meaning it'll cover late 2007 and move on to early 2008 in future chapters) so the Sons of Ipswich's age as well as the BtVS characters age are current.

**Summary:** His remains weren't found in ruins left by the burnt down barn. No one knew what happened to him or where he went, but he was back now and intent on draining the power of the one person he underestimated...

**Buffy's Covenant  
**by PhoenixRae

* * *

**I. Wake Up Call**

_Some City in the East Coast_

A DARK ALLEY...a lone male figure...another male figure looming in the shadows...the first male was running, panting and very much out of breath. He paused beside a green dumpster, one hand braced on the side and the other braced against his thigh. He was catching his breath while checking over his shoulder to see if he was being followed.

He waited a couple of heartbeats. He took a couple of deep breaths and resumed running. Every second or so he'd look over his shoulder. He was too busy looking over his shoulder that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. He ran headlong into an outstretched arm that felt like it was made out of wood.

He was struck right on his larynx, causing him to double over and clutch his throat.

His assailant appeared wearing black leather dusters on top of a black button down shirt and pants. His shoes, expensive and shiny, were also in the shade of black. His hair was blond and his eyes a deep green shade. He looked menacing. And he was menacing.

He advanced towards the fallen man clutching his throat. He made a tsk-ing sound with his tongue accompanied by the slight shake of his head from side to side.

"You can run, my friend, but you can't hide," the assailant spoke the warning.

"Please," the downed man rasped, "I don't have any money yet. I'll--I'll pay you back tomorrow."

The blond assailant stopped right in front of the man, his lips pouted as if in consideration, giving the other man hope that his life would be spared this evening.

"I suppose I can give you another day," he began, watching the man cowering on the wet and dirty cement from the corner of his eye. "But there's _another_ thing you can give me instead," his grin widened and this time his eyes turned from green to a complete black shade.

The downed man's eyes widened when he realized who this person was that beat him at a game of poker the other night.

"You'll have to fight me to the death before I'll will my Power to you," he spat.

Again his assailant pouted as if considering his threat.

"Yeah, that would be very sporty if we dueled to the death _or_..." he let his voice trail off, adding more fear into the other man's psyche. "I can just take it without your consent."

"What--_aaaaah!_" the downed man didn't get to finish his sentence before he was zapped by a thousand lightning bolts that penetrated his body. His assailant thrust out his hands and sucked the Power from him without his consent.

The man writhed and jerked as he dropped on the ground, smoke emanating from his body and the stench an electrocuted human body permeated the empty alleyway.

Chase Collins stood before the barbecued man's remains savoring the feel of the other man's Power entering his body.

* * *

_Ipswich, Massachusetts_

NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD CALEB DANVERS woke up with a start as lightning cracked the midnight sky. He was drenched in sweat from head to toe, his blanket bunched around his waist.

He sat up straight, his breathing coming out hard and fast. He could feel _and_ hear his heart beat rapidly. It had been over a year since he last had a dream as vivid and disturbing as this. And the Power...it was a familiar and yet unfamiliar Power at the same time.

What the hell was going on? Who was using _and_ abusing their Power again?

* * *

_Cleveland, Ohio_

TWENTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD BUFFY SUMMERS woke up with a jolt. Her blue eyes opened wide as it tried to adjust to her dimly lit room. A quick glance at her bedside digital alarm clock indicated that it was two-thirty in the morning.

She just had a dream. Actually it felt more like a premonition or something. It felt real and the man draining the other man of his power and life felt eerily real and it was the lightning bolts that woke her up. Whatever or whoever it was that killed that gambler sure felt like she knew him, but how and why?

Slowly she pushed herself to a sitting position, gathering her legs up and pressing her thighs to her chest. She rested her chin on her knees and stared at the empty space at the foot of her bed.

Something bad was coming. She felt it. That was what her dream was about. It was a warning. But a warning to _what?_


	3. II Getting Connected

**Disclaimer:** _The Covenant_ and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ are not of my own creation. They belong to Sony Pictures / J.S. Cardone & Joss Whedon.

**PhoenixRae's Notes:** The timeline is set to present (meaning it'll cover late 2007 and move on to early 2008 in future chapters) so the Sons of Ipswich's age as well as the BtVS characters age are current.

**Summary:** His remains weren't found in ruins left by the burnt down barn. No one knew what happened to him or where he went, but he was back now and intent on draining the power of the one person he underestimated...

**Buffy's Covenant  
**by PhoenixRae

* * *

**II. Getting Connected**

BUFFY WATCHED HER FOREVER Watcher and surrogate father's face after she recounted to him a blow-by-blow detail of her dream the night before.

"So?" she demanded when Giles remained silent.

"Hmm..." Giles murmured in his typical stoic British Watcher pose. He was pacing back and forth in the comfort of the sunny kitchen and he was rubbing his forefinger against his lips.

Buffy watched and waited for her mentor to say something. As baffling as her dream was, it sure packed a whopper of an omen that neither one of them could ignore.

"What was it about the man's eyes that you said happened?" Giles asked.

"It turned black."

"Black?

"Uh-hm. He went all...oh, I dunno, evil Source dude with all black eyes including the whites of his eyes. _Very_ creepy," Buffy shivered visibly to emphasis how freaked out she was about _that_ particular part of the baddie she saw.

"And the power?"

"It was familiar, but at the same time it was alien to me too, like...oh, I dunno. I've _fought_ with someone who had the same power and yet...it was weird," again Buffy was baffled. She'd been trying to pinpoint which one of her numerous past enemies possessed the power she sensed in her dream. It was always right at the tip of her tongue, but at the very last minute she couldn't remember who it was.

"Hmm, curious," Giles mumbled and continued his pacing once again.

Buffy waited for him to elaborated, but Giles seemed lost in his thoughts once again and forgot that she was still there waiting for some scraps of info she could deduce and ponder on.

* * *

THANK YOU, EVELYN. I didn't mean to bother you," Giles apologized to the woman he was speaking to on the phone. 

"It's alright, Rupert. I was expecting your call too," Evelyn Danvers reassured the worried Englishman. "Am I right to assume that you've heard?"

"Yes. Yes, my Slayer had a dream the other night," he confirmed.

"Ah, you're putting it mildly," she chuckled. "Caleb called it a nightmare."

"Ah, yes, yes, of course it was a nightmare, but Buffy tend to not call it such unless it involved a lot of maiming and gore."

A long silence stretched between the two adults. The wheels in their heads turning, trying to figure out why both the strongest Slayer alive and strongest Son of this generation received the same disturbing dream.

"Should we worry, Rupert?" Evelyn asked the one question she did not want to address, but she had no choice and knew she must throw it out there.

Giles took his time from answering. He wasn't quite sure if they should or shouldn't worry. If two of the most powerful beings walking the face of the earth received the same dream and were troubled by it, then common sense dictated they _should_ worry. But what if it was nothing? What if it was just by coincidence Buffy and Caleb received the same disturbing dream but it meant nothing?

"For now let's not," he advised. "But let's keep a close eye on them just in case."

"Just in case what?"

"Just in case this new evil running amok comes after them."

"Oh God," Evelyn gasped. "I can't afford to lose my son, Rupert. I already went through that turmoil when he Ascended last year."

"I know, Evelyn, but Caleb is tough. And he has the protection of his friends whom I believe have all Ascended now too, haven't they?"

"Yes. Yes, they have," she nodded.

"Good. I'm sure between the four of them they'd be able to trump this evil if ever it decided to attack."

"What about your Slayer?"

"Buffy's been through one too many battles. She's a seasoned fighter, but nevertheless she'll need protection."


	4. III Visiting Old Friends

**Disclaimer:** _The Covenant_ and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ are not of my own creation. They belong to Sony Pictures / J.S. Cardone & Joss Whedon.

**Summary:** His remains weren't found in ruins left by the burnt down barn. No one knew what happened to him or where he went, but he was back now and intent on draining the power of the one person he underestimated...

**Buffy's Covenant  
**by PhoenixRae

* * *

**III. Visiting Old Friends**

CALEB, POGUE, REID AND TYLER all stared out from the back of the long and tinted stretch limo that picked them up as soon as their two hours and five minutes direct flight straight out of Logan airport and to the Hopkins International in northeast Cleveland landed at five minutes to eight in the evening.

The foursome had no idea why they were sent to Ohio by Caleb's mother. Evelyn Danvers had been cryptic about her message to the four of them just before they were dropped off at the entrance to Logan.

"A limo will you pick up from the airport and drop you off to a suburban neighbourhood where you will be met by a Mr. Rupert Giles," Evelyn told the four of them while en route to Boston. "He knows about your gifts and don't worry, he's a man worthy of our trust," she reassured them before they could protest.

"You're not coming?" Caleb asked after his mother was done giving them instructions.

"No."

"Why not?" it was Pogue who voiced out that question.

Evelyn looked from her son's handsome face to the other dark haired boy seated beside him. His hair was longer and his face square, but he too oozed of that rugged handsome charisma that was prominent amongst the four Sons of Ipswich.

"You'll be in capable hands," was all she said before dropping the subject completely.

Now the stretch limo that picked them up from Hopkins rolled to a stop in front of a cushy two-storey house with a porch and planters hanging above the railings; each hanging flower pot was at least a foot apart.

"Talk about major ODD," commented the sole blond member of the four, Reid Garwin, after he stepped out of the limo. His eyes were darted on the equally spaced hanging planters before moving on to the rattan seat on one side of the porch then to the hanging swing on the other. "Man, _where_ did your mother send us, Caleb?" he demanded and turned to the de facto leader of the Sons of Ipswich for an answer.

"I don't know, Reid, I honestly don't know," Caleb answered without bothering to look at his childhood friend. He turned and accepted his duffel bag from the limo driver and thanked him.

Pogue, Tyler and Reid each took their overnight bags that they packed for this unexpected trip down to Ohio just a week before Christmas break.

The four of them stood in a straight line a yard away from the main front porch steps. The limo that dropped them off rolled away, its back taillights breaking once before turning to exit the cul-de-sac. With no other choice left but to go forward, Caleb took the first step and walked down the winding pathway leading to the front porch steps. He was just about to take a step on the first landing when the front door opened.

"Ah, you must be Misters Danvers, Parry, Garwin and Sims," said the tall man with round eye glasses in what the foursome assumes was a British accent. "Please, come inside. Dinner's getting cold," he invited and stepped aside to gesture them in.

As warm and accommodating as the Englishman was, the foursome couldn't help from raising their guards. Caleb stopped and gave the older man a quick head to foot accession. He knew appearances can be deceiving; he'd been duped once not too long ago by someone he thought was a good shot, but he turned out to be after his very Power.

Giles returned the young man's gaze, holding his eyes before breaking into a small smile.

"I am a friend of your mother, Caleb Danvers. No need for you to be weary of me," he said.

Caleb cocked an eyebrow. "_You're_ Rupert Giles?"

"Yes, I am. And please, just call me Giles since that's what everybody around here preferred to call me."

"You sound like there's just more than _you_ living in this house," commented Tyler.

"You're quite right," was Giles reply to that and urged them to get inside.

* * *

BUFFY, FAITH, DAWN, WILLOW, Xander, Robin and Andrew were crowding around the living room trying to appear less curious about the foursome that was dropped off outside their home in a black stretch limo. Giles told them that the son of an old acquaintance of his from Massachusetts was sending his son and three of his friends over to Cleveland to stay with them for a while. He was pretty cryptic about the whole why four college freshmen were sent packing down to Cleveland, Ohio a week before school went out for the holiday, but Giles didn't offer them any other explanation other than they needed their help training. 

"Oh my God, Willow, they're all uber hot!" squealed Dawn after she saw the foursome. She was discreetly peering between the curtain folds while Giles was out on the porch welcoming their out of town visitors.

"Calm down, Dawnie," warned Xander.

"I am calm," the brunette insisted.

"Yeah you're calm. I can still hear your hormones screaming like an out of control fan girl," was Andrew's smart-aleck reply.

Andrew escaped being skinned alive by the feisty brunette by the entrance of the foursome from Massachusetts. The foursome varied in sizes and persona, but regardless of their outer appearance, one thing was prominent: the four of them reeked of untold of powers.

Buffy, Willow and Faith sensed it immediately. They quickly honed in on the foursome's powers and tried to act as if it wasn't there.

Giles, however, was watching three of the most powerful beings very closely. He knew the reaction would be instant as soon as the four Sons of Ipswich walked through the threshold. So far the three women in the room were reacting as he expected them to react: nonchalant.

"So," Willow said almost breathlessly and was the first to step up with her signature sunshiny smile and bright eyes. "These are our guests from Massachusetts. How are you guys?"

"We're good," answered one of the dark haired young man. He was the one sporting the short hair with a spiky top style. "Caleb Danvers," he introduced himself and thrust his hand out for a shake.

"Willow Rosenberg," Willow automatically took his hand and jumped when she felt an unusual spark that crackled when their palms touched. "_Yikes!_" she yelped and quickly pulled her hand away, shaking it lightly as she stared wide-eyed at the angel-faced teenager.

She was about to accuse him of shocking her when she saw her expression mirrored on his face. He wasn't expecting the shock when they touched.

"Are you okay?" he asked, worry lines creasing his forehead as he looked at Willow's shocked eyes and the hand she was shaking at her side.

"I-I-I think so. But-but you shocked me," she accused.

Caleb's upper lip was pulled to a sly smirk and let out a small chuckle. "I was about to accuse _you_ of shocking me," he teased.

"Well, in that case we _both_ shocked each other."

Caleb nodded in agreement. "That we did." His smile was what Dawn would classify as a killer megawatt smile, and although Willow knew she preferred girls over boys, she couldn't help herself from being charmed by this gallant young man from one of the New England states up north.

Giles took over from then and did the introductions. He pointed which one was which. Robin, Andrew, Xander and Dawn were the first to shake hands with the foursome. When it was Willow's turn to shake hands with Pogue, Reid and Tyler, she was expecting to feel the same electric shock she felt when she and Caleb shook hands. With Pogue and Tyler she felt the jolt, but when it was Reid's turn to shake her hand, she felt nothing but a tingly sensation ran up and down her body, but when it was Buffy and Faith's turn it was different; they both felt the shocking jolt when they shook hands with Reid. With Tyler it was the same reaction. It was only when Buffy and Caleb shook hands that she felt a tingly sensation and when Faith and Pogue clasped hands the same thing occurred.

It was an odd reaction, and they looked like they had questions needed to be answered. They each turned to look at Giles who just stood on the sidelines and watched the interaction between them and their houseguests for the next few weeks.

"Later," Giles mouthed before they could voice out their concern.

They wanted to corral him to the side, but Giles maneuvered around their guests and used them as shields against the three women with burning questions.


	5. IV What's Going On?

**Disclaimer:** _The Covenant_ and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ are not of my own creation. They belong to Sony Pictures / J.S. Cardone & Joss Whedon.

**Summary:** His remains weren't found in ruins left by the burnt down barn. No one knew what happened to him or where he went, but he was back now and intent on draining the power of the one person he underestimated...

**Buffy's Covenant  
**by PhoenixRae

* * *

**IV. ****What's Going On?**

GILES WASN'T SURPRISED WHEN two of the oldest surviving Slayers cornered him shortly after their guests were shown where they'd be bunking in for the night. One upstairs room was converted as a guest room complete with two bunk beds and sleeping bags. Dawn and Willow took over showing the boys where they'd be sleeping, and before Buffy walked away after showing them the room she heard her sister babbling incessantly about the less than 5-star accommodation, but she was doing her best to _sell_ their room to them.

"Alright G, out with it," coaxed Faith after she and Buffy backed Giles up on a corner in the kitchen. "We know those boys upstairs aren't just your regular boarding school dudes. What's the snitch?" she demanded.

Giles looked on helplessly from the brunette Slayer flanking his left side and who stood the closest to him before moving on to look at the blond Slayer flanking his right and was standing a foot behind Faith. They both had the same look on their faces, and both were eager to find out exactly what was going on.

"Where's Willow?" he asked, searching for the red-haired witch whom he knew had the same questions as these two.

"Why?" Buffy frowned.

"Because I don't want to repeat myself again after I've explained," was Giles' matter-of-fact answer.

"She's with Dawn helping our guests get settled in their room," Faith answered.

"Fine. We wait until Willow's done _then_ we'll talk," Giles said firmly and walked around his two prominent Slayers and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Buffy and Faith to gape after him.

"Something major's up, B," Faith said after a couple of seconds ticked by.

"I know," Buffy agreed then looked over her shoulder at the brunette Slayer, "And Giles know more than he's willing to share with us."

"Maybe he'll start sharing once Willow's ready to listen," Faith shrugged.

"I doubt it."

Faith cocked an eyebrow at the blond Slayer. She couldn't believe she was hearing this from the very person who thought the stuffy Englishman was the best Watcher that come out of Watcher School. Well, next to Wesley anyway, but it took Wesley a few years before he showed what he was really made of, and even then Faith knew Wes was made of sterner stuff. She was still reeling from the news, even after two years, of his untimely death while doing his part to prevent the world from becoming a demon's playground.

* * *

I KNOW YOU'RE ALL WONDERING _what_ Caleb, Pogue, Reid and Tyler are doing here," Giles began as he paced the living room. Aside from the two Slayers and the Witch, he called in the others as well to hear out his explanation and the reason the four college freshmen are staying with them. 

"You were really cryptic and all mysterious when you told us you're expecting an old acquaintance's son and his friends," Xander pointed out.

"I know," Giles agreed, pausing to stand by the lit old fashioned fire place, his hands slipped inside his trouser pockets. "You see Evelyn -- she's Caleb's mother, by the way -- and I weren't exactly sure how far this threat goes. When Buffy came to me with her disturbing dream about witnessing a warlock drain the power off another being and frying the man in the process, I put a call on to Evelyn and she too received the same story from Caleb."

"Whoa," Buffy held up her hands to stop Giles from continuing. "Caleb had a dream about the killing as well?"

Giles smirked. "According to Evelyn, Caleb referred to it as more of a nightmare than a dream."

"Whatever," Buffy waved that information off. "But what you're saying is Caleb's gifted?"

"Yes," Giles nodded.

"And the other three..._they're_ gifted too?" Willow suggested although she wasn't exactly certain.

Giles looked away from Buffy to address Willow. "You sensed power when the four of them walked in to the house, didn't you?"

"Uh-hm," she nodded meekly. "It--it-it was strong. Gave me the heebie-jeebies," she stammered.

"Three of the four of them shocked me when I shook their hands," Faith snarled.

Buffy and Willow both whipped their heads towards Faith's direction, both their eyes wide as they spoke at the same time.

"Was it Caleb?"

"Was it Reid?"

Faiith cocked an eyebrow and looked from the redhead to the blonde. "It was Pogue."

Dawn frowned, feeling left out she joined and claimed, "How come _I_ didn't feel this shock you guys are talking about?" she demanded. "As a former mystical being, shouldn't I be able to sense this stuff too?" She looked from Willow, hoping she'd back her up on this claim. When Willow remained mute Dawn moved her gaze to Giles hoping that _he'd_ be enlighten them.

"I-I thought you lost that mystic mojo when Buffy dove into that hole instead of you?" Andrew spoke for the first time, his forehead creased to a frown trying to make sense of what they were discussing.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," huffed Dawn and on instinct -- and because he was seated right next to her -- she swatted him across the chest, making the blond recoil from the impact.

"Ow! That hurts," Andrew whined. "I know you get off hitting people, but do _I_ have to be that guinea pig every time?"

"Sorry. Reflex," was Dawn's mere nonchalant reply.

Andrew glared a hole on the side of the brunette's head. He was about to say something back to her, but Giles chose that moment to speak, hence silencing everyone else to listen to what he had to say.

"I'm not sure why the three of you had different reactions when you touched one of them," he was speaking to Buffy, Faith and Willow. "I'll need to do some more research and touch base with Evelyn. She might be able to shed some light into this." He resumed his pacing and stopped in front of Dawn. "You said you didn't have _any_ reaction when you shook hands with any one of them?"

"Yep. No reaction whatsoever."

"Hmm...curious," he mumbled then walked away again.

"OK, so _why_ are these four boys here?" Robin asked.

"You said Caleb and I saw the same thing in our dreams. What's the connection?" Buffy pressed on.

"Right now we're not sure. But the only certainty we have is that this threat somehow involves _you_ and Caleb."

* * *

HELL MAN, HOW LONG DO we have to stay here?" Reid asked while trying to make himself comfortable snuggled up in one of the sleeping bags provided for them. 

"I don't know. Mother wasn't too specific with the details," replied Caleb who took one of the two bunk beds in the room. Pogue stretched out on the other one while Tyler ended up on the floor with Reid.

"I don't get it. Why pack us off to Cleveland when what you saw in your dream happened close to our home?" Pogue propped himself up using his elbow for support, his signature one-length hair dropped on one side.

Caleb turned on his side and propped himself up as well. "Mother said Rupert Giles will be able to train us better than us learning how to curb our Powers by ourselves. She also mentioned something about a very powerful Wicca living here in Ohio that could give us a run for our money."

"Okay," frustrated Reid gave up trying to make himself comfortable inside his sleeping bag and sat up. He was positioned at the foot of Caleb's bed and used it to prop his back against. "I'll _have_ to do something about this annoying sleeping arrangement. I can't get comfortable on the floor," he complained.

"You're just a pampered brat, Reid," teased Tyler who seemed to be comfortable snuggled in his own sleeping bag placed at the foot of Pogue's bed. "I think I know _why_ you're this restless. It's the redhead, isn't it? I saw you eyeing her earlier."

"Shut up," Reid flicked his wrist and used Pogue's spare pillow to wheeze-whack Tyler where he lay.

"_Hey!_" the youngest of the foursome protested and sat up. He clutched the pillow that hit him and was about to hurtle it back to Reid, but Pogue leaned over and grabbed it from his hand.

"That's _my_ pillow. Use your own if you two want to indulge in a pillow fight."

"_He_ started it," Tyler whined.

"Whatever, man," Pogue tucked his pillow under his arm and made himself comfortable once again.

Reid chuckled from where he sat, his arms hanging from where it rested atop his propped knees.

"Look, Mother sent us here for a reason, and I sensed something as soon as I walked through the front door."

Three heads turned to look at the de facto leader of their small group.

"So it wasn't just me then," mumbled Tyler.

"I'm afraid not," tsked Reid and flicked his wrist again, this time he used Tyler's own pillow to gently whack him with it.

"Stop that," growled Tyler and very swiftly used his Power to pull Reid's sleeping bag from underneath him.

"_Hey!_" Reid quickly flipped himself from lying flat on his back to standing up right. "Oh you're going to pay for that," he threatened his friend.

"Reid! Tyler! Stop acting like kids and concentrate!" Caleb scolded them. "If you two keep on pulling pranks on each other, you're both going to end up sleeping on the cold floor _without_ sleeping bags," he threatened.

Although slightly pissed, Reid and Tyler backed down from knocking heads. Reid flicked his wrist and put his sleeping bag to where it was set before.

"You know you could've just done that _without_ using your Power," Tyler reminded him.

"Whatever, man. I'm tired and my back's not used to sleeping on the floor."

"You should get used to it. Remember we used to camp when we were kids?"

"That was a long time ago. I haven't gone camping in...well, since the last time we went camping."

Reid and Tyler continued their back and forth discussion about camping and sleeping in sleeping bags and tents. Caleb and Pogue shared a speaking glance and fell back on their beds. It would be futile to have a discussion with those two harping at one another. Besides it had been a long day. They all need to recuperate and tomorrow might hold the answers to _some_ of their questions.


	6. V First Day

**Disclaimer:** _The Covenant_ and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ are not of my own creation. They belong to Sony Pictures / J.S. Cardone & Joss Whedon.

**Summary:** His remains weren't found in ruins left by the burnt down barn. No one knew what happened to him or where he went, but he was back now and intent on draining the power of the one person he underestimated...

**Buffy's Covenant  
**by PhoenixRae

* * *

**V. First Day**

TYLER WOKE UP TO THE SCENT of bacons, hams and eggs emanating from the slat under the door. Since he was the one stationed closest to the door he was the first to receive a full whiff. Groggily he pushed out from underneath his sleeping bag and sat up. He looked at the three other occupants of the room who were sleeping soundly. He didn't bother waking any of them up. He rummaged in his duffel for a change of clothing and ducked outside to the main bathroom and did his thing before emerging, stopping by the room he shared with his friends to leave his dirty laundry then headed to the kitchen using the back stairs leading to the kitchen.

Tyler was greeted by the sight of two people busying themselves in the kitchen. One was minding the stove while the other was minding the bread in the toaster. They were moving simultaneously in the kitchen, without looking at each other they moved as one. It was quite fun to watch them work as a team. The scene looked very domesticated and the couple in the kitchen -- the blond and the brunette -- were very much in tune with each other's movements that they didn't need to look at where the other was going; they just moved.

Leaning against the wall, Tyler crossed his arms over his chest and relaxed. He was amused and intrigued. Growing up as one of the privileged Sons, this part of the morning routine he wasn't at all too familiar with nor was it a common scene he'd often see. His breakfast was always served to him in the dining room when he was at home. And when he was at the dorm all he had to do was head straight to the cafeteria and take his pick from there.

It was a cute scene he was watching, until one wrong move by the blond and it resulted in an early morning battled of barbed words.

"OK, it was cute and peaceful up until one of you missed a step and collided," Tyler commented when the couple's voices began to escalate.

Dawn paused from clobbering Andrew with a bread knife when she heard one of their guests.

"Oh, you're an early riser," she slowly put the knife down on the center island counter. "Wanna help?" she invited enthusiastically.

All colour was drained from Tyler's face. His expression looked comical. Was she serious?

"What's wrong?" Dawn frowned.

"I think you spooked him," Andrew said in a stage whisper.

"Spooked him?" Dawn blanched. "All I asked of him is if he'd like to help."

"Yeah, and only a nitwit would overlook the obvious," huffed Andrew.

"Overlook what? And I'm not a nitwit!" Dawn punctuated that statement with a swift whack at the back of Andrew's head.

"_Ow!_ Does hurting people turn you on?" Andrew snapped, rubbing the spot Dawn just hit.

"No. That's sick and twisted," Dawn made a face at his comment.

"Well, I guess unless you're Faith then that type of thing doesn't get your juices flowing," he shrugged.

"Yeah," she agreed then turned back to their guest. "So, you're going to help or what?"

"Uhhh..." Sweat started to bead on Tyler's temple. He was put on the spot. Aside from preparing cereals for himself, he doesn't know fig about cooking!

"Fine," Dawn raised her hands in frustration and went back to stand in front of the toaster. "Just brew a fresh pot of coffee. I'm sure everybody would want a cup once they wake up." She assigned him an easy enough job that Tyler was relieved and very confident he wouldn't bungle it up.

"OK," Tyler answered with more confidence in his voice now. He stepped in to the kitchen and walked towards the black and silver grey coffee machine set on the counter by the window. He stared at the apparatus for a while, deciphering what to do next.

"Uuh, the filter and coffee beans are in the pantry," Andrew pointed him to the right direction when he noticed that the young man looked lost. "There's a choice for the grind stuff and the bean stuff. Take your pick. If we're out of the grind stuff, then grab the coffee beans and grind them," he added after Tyler disappeared inside the pantry. Once he was out of earshot Andrew walked up to Dawn and dropped his voice, "He may have mojo power working for him, but honestly, he needs to be taught _how_ to do manual labour around here."

Dawn knitted her forehead. She grabbed the toasts when it popped out and placed them on the platter to be buttered before dropping two more slices.

"What do you mean?"

"I did a quick background check on our four guests last night before I went to bed. I found out that our four guests are sons of four of the _wealthiest_ families in Massachusetts."

"Hmm...well that explains the expensive stretch limo that dropped them off here last night."

"Yeah. And...well, they're also dubbed as the Sons of Ipswich," Andrew added, darting a watchful eye on the open pantry door. He doesn't want to be caught gossiping by one of their guests.

"Sons of what?"

"Ipswich," Andrew repeated then walked away when he saw Tyler emerge from the pantry. "Did you find everything?" he inquired.

"Yeah," Tyler nodded. "You guys are out of the grind stuff so I took beans stuff."

"Oh, well the coffee bean grinder's...in...the..._holy shit!_" Dawn gasped when she saw the coffee beans being ground to powder in the filter. Her blue eyes darted back and forth from the now ground coffee beans then to the young man who did nothing but stood there and looked at the beans. "Uuh...how--how...damn," she cursed again at her stammering. She mentally scolded herself for acting like a bumbling idiot when she was used to seeing magic and the supernatural.

Tyler looked over his shoulder, a mischievous grin on his handsome boyish face. He was making coffee without moving where he was; he just flicked his fingers and the coffee pot, the coffee filter and the coffee machine were all working together to finish up the pot of coffee he was assigned to make.

"OK, either you're a warlock or a wizard. Which is it?" Dawn slowly inched as far away from Tyler without -- she hoped -- appearing that she was freaked out by his show of power.

"Which one do you think is the good one?" he asked teasingly.

Despite of her sudden fear of what this guy was capable of, Dawn couldn't help but be amused by him. He was charming, she had to hand it to him.

"A wizard, of course. I mean, Harry Potter's a wizard and he's a good guy. A warlock's...well, you've seen episodes of _Charmed_, right? Warlocks are _baaaaaad_ magical folks."

Tyler made a face at her choices of comparison. He gave a Gallic shrug and finished preparing the first batch of coffee. He turned and faced the brunette and smiled, "If you ask me, I don't see any difference between a witch, a warlock and a wizard. They all possess magical powers and can do stuff. And it's up to the person wielding such power on whether to use his talent for good or for bad."

"Hmm, nicely put," commended Andrew.

"Thank you," Tyler did a mock bow, but his eyes never breaking contact with Dawn's. "You don't have to be afraid of me. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I'm not afraid," Dawn scoffed, squaring her shoulders and plastering a fake brave smile on her face. She knew she was being ridiculous for reacting the way she did when she saw him use magic. Didn't Giles tell them last night that their four guests were gifted?

"Are you sure?" he prodded.

"Yeah," she insisted.

Tyler continued to stare at Dawn, making the brunette squirm under his intense gaze. She needed to get him to stop looking at her the way he was doing now.

"Here," she shoved a bag of bagels to him. "Start slicing them and running them in the toaster oven. You might as well help me finish up here before the entire household wakes up and the others come in for breakfast."

"Others?" Tyler echoed, crossing the space between him and the island counter to grab the bag of bagels Dawn shoved to him.

"Yeah. The Potentials are coming in for their usual morning training. They live just a couple of blocks down from us. We all used to live together, but after a while the house got really crowded and none of us could stand the constant whining and complaining of the teenagers," she explained.

"_Potentials?_" Tyler wasn't sure if he was following what Dawn was telling him.

"Don't worry, Tyler, you'll meet them shortly," reassured Andrew.

Tyler wanted to ask Dawn more about the Potentials. Heck, he wanted to hear her talk more. She had the most animated expression on her face when she talks. And he also wanted to know _why_ she reacted the way she did when he used his Powers to make coffee. Surely if she'd been exposed to magic and was aware of it, she shouldn't have reacted that way.


	7. VI Potentials & Training

**Disclaimer:** _The Covenant_ and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ are not of my own creation. They belong to Sony Pictures / J.S. Cardone & Joss Whedon.

**Summary:** His remains weren't found in ruins left by the burnt down barn. No one knew what happened to him or where he went, but he was back now and intent on draining the power of the one person he underestimated...

**Buffy's Covenant  
**by PhoenixRae

* * *

**VI. Potentials & Training**

TYLER KNEW HE'D BE at the end of his three friends' teasing when they walked in to the kitchen and found him with a half apron wrapped around his waist, holding a bread knife in one hand and on the other a slice of bagel he was toasting in the toaster oven.

Tyler tried to divert their attention from his current state of appearance by warning his friends soon after they came downstairs for breakfast and found him in the kitchen helping out with the breakfast preparation that Dawn said something about expecting some Potentials to join them for breakfast. But of course his friends were more interested in him helping out with breakfast than to actually listen to what he just told them. Reid was the first to take up the stand and _torment_ him; teasing him about how easily he was domesticated and whatnot.

"Oh great you guys are awake!" Willow said cheerfully, entering the kitchen from the dining room. She cast her eyes on the three guys standing by the counter pestering Tyler. "Reid, you can help me set the breakfast table," she ordered.

"What?" Reid gaped at the chirpy redhead.

Willow merely cocked an eyebrow at him before looking over his shoulder at Caleb and Pogue. "Since Tyler's been helping Dawn and Andrew with the food, Caleb and Pogue can you guys grab some extra tables from the shed outside? We're going to have a full house this morning and as big as our dining table is, I don't think it'll be able to hold everybody."

Tyler hid his smirk from his three dumfounded friends after they received their orders from the petite redhead.

Caleb and Pogue followed Willow's orders without complaint. Reid, however, was grumbling under his breath and glaring a hole at the back of the redhead's skull. Tyler was only relieved to have his friends off his back teasing him when they have their hands full with work -- _manual_ house work.

Reid disappeared to the dining room with Willow while Pogue and Caleb ran back upstairs to bundle up before heading outside to grab the tables Willow asked them to carry back to the house.

"Full house?" Tyler turned to look at his two cohorts who were tidying up their stations since they were done.

"That means _all_ the Potentials will be present and accounted for this morning," answered Andrew before dropping the dirty pans and skillet he used in the sink filled with soapy water.

"Word of advise, the Potentials' age range from fourteen to eighteen," Dawn grabbed a bagel from the last bag that Tyler was doing and helped him slice it in half. She popped the two slices along with the two he sliced into the toaster oven and turned the timer knob.

Thirty minutes later Tyler understood what Dawn meant when she gave him her 'word of advice,' which more or less became a riddle to him that he only just figured out after the arrival of a dozen teenage girls led by a spunky long haired brunette.

The peacefulness that surrounded the Summers household was soon shattered the moment the 12 teenage girls walked in, each carrying on a conversation and arguing with one another. They didn't even notice that aside from the usual household members, there were _four_ new faces joining them for breakfast this morning.

"Alright," Faith clapped her hands twice to catch everyone's attention. She stood up from where she sat, turning her gaze slowly around to make sure that everyone's quieted down and ready to listen to what she has to say. Once she have everyone's attention, the slender brunette turned to look at the blond woman seated at the head of the middle table. "The floor's yours, B," she grinned.

"Thanks Faith," Buffy's smile looked forced, but her eyes showed gratitude towards the brunette. "Alright, listen up everyone. Today's training will be different. Instead of using the dojo in the basement, you guys will go with Robin and Xander to the school and train _there_ along with the other students that Giles' teaching."

Buffy's announcement was followed by a chorus of groans and whines from the twelve teenagers that joined them for breakfast. She seemed to have expected this reaction and was prepared for an explanation.

"In case you guys haven't noticed, we have four guests staying with us for the time being," Buffy gestured at Caleb, Reid, Tyler and Pogue seated nearest to the kitchen door.

Twelve sets of eyes turned as one to the direction Buffy indicated. The foursome gave an awkward greeting, and so did the other Potentials, before they turned back to listen to the rest of what Buffy was going to say.

"What's so special about them?" asked the spunky long haired brunette who looked more like the leader of the Potentials.

"It's a need-to-know basis, Kennedy, and unfortunately, you _don't_," was Buffy's quip reply, which earned her a deadly glare from the brunette named Kennedy. But instead of quivering under the brunt of the glare, Buffy quickly added, "At least for _now_ you guys don't have to worry about what they're doing here and why they're here. Their presence in Cleveland must be kept under the radar, that's why they can't train in the school," she explained.

JT, the sixteen-year-old sole Asian-American Potential living in Cleveland with the rest of them, scrunched her face and looked from Buffy to the foursome then back at Buffy. "Are they in some kind of trouble and needs our protection?"

Reid splattered the coffee he was drinking after hearing that question. Tyler quickly handed him a paper napkin he grabbed from the dispenser while Pogue patted his back.

"We're capable of protecting ourselves, thank you very much," Reid replied after he recovered from nearly choking on his breakfast.

"Oh. Then _why_ would you need the Slayers' protection?" JT pressed on, her innocence making it impossible for anyone to be annoyed with her for asking these questions.

"Slayers?" it was Caleb who voiced out this question and he cast a look first at Faith who was seated across from him before slowly moving his gaze to lock with Buffy's. He cocked an eyebrow and waited for an explanation.

Buffy gave him none. Instead she cleared her throat and told the inquisitive young woman she's asking questions that falls under the 'need-to-know-basis' category, which means no more questioning because they'd hit nothing but road blocks ahead.

* * *

CALEB KEPT A CLOSE EYE on the blonde leader of the group. Buffy looked like a seasoned fighter, and according to what his mother told him about one of Giles' wards, Buffy was very well aware of what goes bump in the night that most mortals wouldn't give a damn about. 

They'd been cooped-up in the basement, which was turned into a very impressive dojo room, since parting companies with the gaggle of Potentials who joined them for breakfast. Giles took off with the girls along with the African-American Robin Wood and the one-eyed man, Xander Harris. Faith remained in the house with Buffy and it was them that ushered the four of them downstairs to the dojo.

Right now Reid and Tyler were being taught how to deflect deadly hand-to-hand combat blows by Buffy while Faith stood on the side, legs spread apart and her arms crossed over her midriff. She and the blonde were taking turns in teaching them some martial arts self-defense moves, which doesn't make sense to them since their Powers alone were enough to help them defeat a foe.

"This is grade-school self-defense crap," muttered Pogue after watching Tyler easily deflect Buffy's attack.

Faith, who was standing near where Caleb and Pogue were lounging, heard the long-haired brunette said and cocked an eyebrow. She watched as Reid tried to deflect Buffy's attack and did a not-so-good job at it unlike Tyler before walking up to where her two sparring partners were leaning against the wall.

"You think it's crap right now," she said smugly, giving Pogue a cutting glare that Caleb was glad he wasn't the recipient of said glare, then added, "but it can really save your ass when you're stuck in a tight situation. Take your friend Reid for example," she threw her head at the direction of where Reid was trying once again to deflect Buffy's attack. "I betcha a thousand bucks he's underestimating the importance of these _simple_ moves we're teaching you, that's why he's getting his ass kicked by Buffy right now."

Reid's grunt followed by a whooshing sound as Buffy gracefully tackled Reid down on the blue matted floor that surrounded pretty much the entire basement floor.

"See?" Something about the menacing grin on Faith's face spoke volumes. If they weren't mistaken she seemed to like kicking some male ass regardless of their height, weight and hidden Powers.

Pogue and Caleb were still watching Reid and saw that the hotheaded blond has lost his patience with this mundane drill. They saw Reid's eyes change and knew what he was about to do.

"Reid, _no!_" Caleb and Pogue called out in alarm at the same time and bolted away from where they were lounging against the wall. But they weren't fast enough before Reid opened his arms and a watery circular whirlpool appeared and blasted it across the room to where Buffy was standing, unprepared for this unexpected use of magic against her.

Caleb and Pogue felt helpless to save Buffy on time from Reid's unprecedented attack. They hated using their Powers against one another, but Reid's temper gave them no choice.

"Take him out, Caleb," Pogue said to his best friend. Although he and the others have Ascended, Caleb's still the most powerful of the four of them and was the only one who could counter Reid's attack without causing too much harm on Buffy.

"Damn Reid and his fucking temper," hissed Caleb and against his better judgment prepared to attack Reid and deflect the attack on Buffy.

He was about to strike when suddenly Reid wheezed past them across the room to land with a resounding smack against the wall padding; the force of the impact left Reid stuck against the wall padding before he slid down slowly on the floor, his head hung forward.

He was knocked unconscious.

"Holy shit, Caleb. What did you do?" accused Tyler who came running to where he and Pogue stood rooted on the spot and staring wide-eyed at the unconscious Reid.

"I--I didn't do it," answered Caleb once he has recovered from his shock.

Tyler and Pogue turned their heads to look from the unconscious Reid on slumped on the floor to an equally surprised Caleb who was staring at their downed friend.

"If you didn't, then who the hell did it?" demanded Pogue.

Faith's throat clearing caught the trio's attention and they all looked at her. She pointed them to the direction of the stairs leading to the main floor of the house and saw the answer standing at the bottom of the stairs looking mad as hell.


	8. VII We Don't Use Magic Against Each Oth

**Disclaimer:** _The Covenant_ and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ are not of my own creation. They belong to Sony Pictures / J.S. Cardone & Joss Whedon.

**Summary:** His remains weren't found in ruins left by the burnt down barn. No one knew what happened to him or where he went, but he was back now and intent on draining the power of the one person he underestimated...

**PhoenixRae's Notes:** Thanks to everybody reading and enjoying this fic. I'm kinda on a roll writing this fic and...well, hopefully it'll pick up the pace soon enough. Sorry if it's kinda lagging here. :)

**Buffy's Covenant  
**by PhoenixRae

* * *

**VII. We Don't Use Magic Against Each Other**

REID WAS SLOWLY COMING THROUGH. He felt like he'd been bulldozed by more than one eighteen-wheeler truck, and his whole body ached from the impact. He could hear movements around him; voices filtered in and out of his consciousness. Some were familiar while the others were...hell, he couldn't quite decipher.

"He's coming through?" Reid recognized Tyler's worried voice on top of everyone else's.

"Yeah. And it's about damn time he wakes up too!" That has got to be Dawn, the feisty twenty-something brunette, the blonde's sister.

"Are you sure he's alright?" That sounded like the geeky blond living with them, Andrew.

"Why shouldn't he be? All he received was a good thrashing down in the dojo," that sounded like Faith, the other instructor who was Caleb and Pogue's sparring partner.

There were a few more conversations, but Reid was far too tired and hurting to pay any attention to them. He started moaning and groaning, testing how he feels by moving his head and sighing when his head wasn't throbbing as badly as it did moments ago.

Reid slowly opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to adjust to the suddenly bright light. He knew he wasn't in the dojo anymore. He was probably carried by his friends upstairs and was placed in the conservatory; it was the only place in the household he noticed that had so many windows.

"Okay everybody, give Mr. Cockypants some breathing space," Willow spread her arms wide and pushed everyone crowding around Reid away. She remained standing right in front of the temperamental blond and waited until his eyes were fully open and looking right at her.

Reid knew the pet name was designated from him, and if the redhead woman's tone was anything to go by, it wasn't given to him because she liked him either.

"Mr. Cockypants?" he echoed once his eyes were focused on the sweet-faced redhead, but he knew looks can be deceiving. "I don't think I deserve to be called such," he argued.

Willow merely cocked an eyebrow at that. She continued to stare at the young man still slumped on the lounge chair in the conservatory. It was the closest they could carry him from the basement.

"You don't?" she taunted. "Somehow I think you're _aptly_ named," she grinned mischievously.

Right at that précised moment Reid knew he hated Willow Rosenberg. She goes around naming people when she herself was acting like she was so damn full of herself.

"Isn't that like a pot calling the kettle black?" he taunted, not wanting her to have the last word.

Willow's eyes widened in mock surprise before her lips slowly spread to a bright, sunny grin. "And I'm _damn_ proud of it," she winked and turned her back on him and walked out of the room.

Fuck, she still managed to have the last word _and_ walked out before he could form a rebuttal.

* * *

GILES WAS UPDATED OF WHAT happened earlier while he was at the training academy he setup as a front to help train the Potentials that were awakened when the First was defeated. He didn't rush back to the house after Willow assured him she knew what she was doing and that she only wanted to teach the cocky young man a lesson when it comes to using his Powers. 

"Are you feeling better now, Reid?" he asked the still disgruntled looking young man seated with him in the kitchen. He called in an impromptu meeting with the foursome in the kitchen soon after he returned home with Xander and Robin.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Reid mumbled.

"Good," Giles nodded. He sat up straight on the round four-legged wooden stool that lined up the large center island counter where he asked the foursome to sit around at. His eyes moved from the blond seated to his left and continued his clockwise gaze of the three other young men. "I know you four have Ascended over the course of the past year," he began. "And I know that prior to that you were given free rein to use your Powers as often as you deemed fit. But now that you've Ascended, you all are aware of the consequences of using your Powers disparagingly."

A mumbled chorus of 'uh-hms' was heard and four heads bobbed up and down.

"Evelyn didn't tell you why you four were sent here."

"Mother was very cryptic about that," Caleb pointed out.

"I know, just as _I _was cryptic about the reason why you four were coming here when I told Buffy and the others."

"What's with all the esoteric messages?" Pogue demanded.

Giles took a deep breath and bided his time. He rehearsed this explanation over and over again since before the arrival of the foursome, but exactly _how_ he'd bring up the subject of their training when it comes to the _other_ supernatural they were dealing with he knew he had to ease them into it carefully.

"You four need to be trained in basic hand-to-hand combat as well as weapons handling," he began, catching the curious attention of the four teenagers. "Sometimes certain situations will require you to use _physical_ power in order to defeat or at least slow down a foe."

"We don't need to know karate to do that," interrupted Reid. "Our Powers can finish them off."

Giles cocked an eyebrow at the blond. "And yet you were still caught off guard and was rendered unconscious for almost two hours," he reminded him.

"Caleb just got lucky," Reid mumbled.

"It wasn't me man," said Caleb.

Reid shot his friend a piercing glare. "Yeah, right. _You're_ the only one powerful enough to blast me to kingdom come!"

"Yeah he's got that power, Reid, but we were there and we saw him _not_ use his Powers on you," Pogue stepped in to defend Caleb.

"Bullshit," he hissed.

"Pogue and Caleb aren't messing with you, Reid," Tyler joined the other three on insisting it wasn't either one of them who stopped Reid from doing something to Buffy.

Reid eyed his three childhood best friends carefully.

"If it wasn't you guys, then _who_ did?"

"Willow," Giles, Caleb, Pogue and Tyler answered in unison.

"What?" Reid nearly fell off the stool he was perched on. "You're shitting me here."

"No, we're not, and please, mind your language," Giles reprimanded. "Willow's a powerful Wicca. A few years back she went on a rampage and was hell bent on ending the world, but thanks to the help of her friends she was stopped and she went back to England with me to recuperate and learned to curb her gift," he explained.

"OK, so yeah she's Super Witch, but _how_ did she manage to knock me across the room?"

"I sensed your Power," came Willow's answer from the kitchen doorway. She gave Giles an apologetic look before entering the kitchen. "I know this is a private powwow between you guys, but I need to speak to Giles ASAP and it can't be put off."

"What's the matter, Willow?" Giles frowned.

"There's been another attack. This time it's close to home."

"Same M.O.?"

"Yep," the redhead nodded.

"Where?"

Willow gave him the location.

"That's close to the school."

"Exactly. Buffy and Faith are itching to go, but I told them to hold still while I inform you. You might want to send these boys out on patrol with Buffy and Faith," she suggested.

"Whoa, _patrol?_" echoed Reid.

Giles and Willow ignored him. They carried on talking, thinking up strategies and deliberating tasks. They agreed that Giles will accompany the two Slayers and the foursome, while Willow stay behind and hit the books and the Net searching for the culprit.

"C'mon you four. I wasn't expecting to throw you to the wolves, per se, this early, but I guess whatever this evil is, it's not waiting for you guys to be ready." Giles was off his seat and following Willow out of the kitchen.

Caleb, Pogue, Reid and Tyler exchanged looks, each one wondering what the hell was going on and what Giles and Willow were talking about. They knew they wouldn't find the answers if they remained in the kitchen staring at each other. They followed the twosome to join the others in the kitchen and went out to patrol.


	9. VIII Of Slayers & Witches

**Disclaimer:** _The Covenant_ and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ are not of my own creation. They belong to Sony Pictures / J.S. Cardone & Joss Whedon.

**Summary:** His remains weren't found in ruins left by the burnt down barn. No one knew what happened to him or where he went, but he was back now and intent on draining the power of the one person he underestimated...

**PhoenixRae's Notes:** OK, I am not exactly sure how tall Buffy is, but since she seemed to be often dwarfed by the 'men' in her life, I'd assume she's just a little over five feet tall.

**Buffy's Covenant  
**by PhoenixRae

* * *

**VIII. Of Slayers & Witches**

THIS IS CRAZY," COMPLAINED REID after they circled the perimeter of where Giles' self-defense school was located for the third time in search of the elusive new evil they were supposed to chase off.

"This is called _patrolling_," Faith told him smugly, sneaking up quietly beside the irate blond and nearly giving the temperamental teenager a heart attack.

"Jesus, Faith! You need a cow bell around your neck to warn people of your comings and goings."

Instead of taking offense Faith merely cocked an eyebrow at Reid and chuckled. "You know, for a supposedly _powerful_ dude, you're such a baby."

"I am not."

"Yeah, you are," Faith insisted and continued chattering the young blond man up.

Buffy and Caleb were walking behind them, both were amused at the way Faith was obviously rubbing Reid the wrong way and making him try and lose his temper. Pogue, Tyler and Giles brought up the rear; the trio were deep in conversation about their aborted powwow in the kitchen earlier before Willow told them of the attack.

"Is Faith giving Reid a test to see just how long he'd hold off before he uses his Powers?" Caleb asked his own blonde companion.

Buffy gave a Gallic shrug, her eyes trained on Faith and her young companion. She knew Faith means well, and after seeing Reid get thrown across the dojo earlier today and was knocked unconscious by petite and friendly Willow, she knew Reid would rue the day he let himself get blindsided by a fellow witch and have two Slayers bear witness to it.

"I think Faith's just tormenting Reid for the sake of tormenting him," she sighed and slowed her pace. She glanced up her side (Caleb stood well over six feet to here mere five foot two frame) to look at her companion's profile. He was a very handsome guy; chiseled feature and held what most would coin as a classic beauty, but for a man. He epitomized the tall, dark and handsome to a T. It was just too bad he was younger than her and she needed to help save _his_ ass as well as hers concerning this new evil that's stalking them.

"Ah," Caleb nodded, an understanding smile lit up his face as if he knew exactly what Buffy meant. "If Faith finds joy in teasing or tormenting people, she picked the right person to trifle with."

"Because Reid's got a very short temper?"

Caleb looked down at her and his puppy brown eyes met and locked with the Slayer's blue ones. In the course of the twenty-four hours since they arrived at the Summers household in Cleveland, Ohio, this was the first time Caleb had to be alone with the eldest Summers sister. Based on what his mother briefly told him about their hosts, Buffy and Dawn Summers were like daughters to Giles, a very dear close friend of his mother from a long time ago. She also said that Buffy was a special woman; very unique if not quirky at times.

"I know this is off topic, but why are we patrolling the area where the attack occured?"

Buffy quirked an amused eyebrow, her bottom lip turning to a pout before breaking eye contact with him. She looked back at the blond and brunette ahead of them and took her time from answering.

"We're looking for clues," she answered.

"Clues to what?"

"Clues that would lead us eventually to this evil that's tormenting our dreams." Buffy paused and met Caleb's gaze again. "Giles told me that you and I both witnessed an attack that happened close to _your_ home. The man was a witch and he seemed to have cheated this other guy off some money in poker, but instead of taking the money, the other baddie decided to turn him to a crispy _dead_ witch instead and infused himself with the other man's power."

"What makes you think we'll find a clue?"

"Why such a pessimist, Caleb?"

"What? I am not."

"You've obviously never dealt with a _different_ kind of evil, other than that guy you blasted off to God knows where the night you Ascended."

Caleb's shock at her knowledge of his face off with Chase the eve of his eighteenth birthday over a year ago was etched on his face.

"How did--"

Buffy cut him off by raising her hand to stop him. "Willow and Andrew did a quick research about you guys while you were in the kitchen with Giles. I mean, Reid was packing a truckload of mojo earlier and I would've been on the opposite end of the dojo knocked unconscious if it hadn't been for Willow sensing such power coming from the basement," she explained.

"That confrontation with Chase wasn't documented."

"Willow and Andrew have their ways of digging in _deeper_ and finding out the necessary answers to our most pressing questions," she winked at him then resumed walking.

Caleb fell into step Buffy once again. "Chase was _addicted_ to the Power. He wanted me to will him _my_ Powers," he explained.

"But you didn't."

"Of course not. Once we Ascend, the Power becomes our life source. Willing it to Chase would've been like signing my death certificate."

"But he was more powerful than you. _How_ did you manage to defeat him?" Willow and Andrew couldn't find the source on how newly Ascended Caleb Danvers destroyed Chase Collins. That portion of their research was often blocked by lack of information.

"Chase was defeated with the help of an act of unselfishness," was Caleb's cryptic reply and left it at that. Buffy quickly glanced at him and saw his face contort. Emotion -- sadness -- briefly crossed his face before he wiped it off and replaced by an unreadable mask.

Buffy knew when certain subjects are just too touchy for comfort. And if the sudden Arctic chill temp she received after Caleb's reply was anything to go by, the topic was way beyond touchy.

They continued walking in silence. Faith was still harping on Reid ahead of them while Giles answered Pogue and Tyler's pressings questions behind them. The hour was getting late and they knew they had to head back to the house to regroup and find out what Willow pulled out about this demon or whatever they were up against.

"Yo B, tell G I'm taking Cockypants with me. We'll meet you back at the house!" Faith called over her shoulder then hooked her arm around a peeved Reid's neck (he hasn't grown accustomed to his new name Willow christened him with) and veered him to the opposite direction from the school.

Buffy acknowledged her with a curt nod. She looked over her shoulder, met Giles' gaze and without exchanging words conveyed a message to him.

"Let's go," Buffy said and veered towards the opposite direction Faith and Reid took off to.

"Where are we going?" Caleb followed Buffy, looking over his shoulder to check on Giles and his two friends. They remained going the same path they were going on before Faith and Buffy decided to take a detour.

"We're doing one last sweep."

"What? We've checked the area how many times already and we found nothing."

"Exactly," Buffy nodded without breaking her stride. "All the more reason why we _should_ check again."

"It's just going to be a waste of time."

"I didn't peg you to be a quitter."

"I am not a quitter!"

Buffy stopped all of a sudden. Caleb nearly collided with her, but his reflexes weren't rusty yet and he managed to brake before they collided. She turned around abruptly and glared at him.

"How will you stop whatever this evil is if you don't want to do any legwork?" she demanded. "No, let me rephrase that. How will you _find_ whatever this thing is that's pestering everyone if you don't do any grunt work? Sure you have mojo magical powers working for you, but can your magic actually help us _track down_ whatever this new evil is that's unleashed?"

Caleb thought Buffy was done and was about to voice out his defense, but she wasn't done berating him yet and so he clamped his mouth shut.

"I don't know how spoiled you guys are or, heck, I don't even know if you really know what _danger_ is. Sure you faced-off with what's-his-face the year your Ascended, but trust me, buddy, facing off against someone who juices up by taking it from others ain't as scary as the other bump in the nights I've encountered over the past decade!"

This time Caleb waited for a few more heartbeats, waiting for Buffy to continue her tirade. When he was certain she was done, he squared his shoulders and cleared his throat.

"First of all, we might come from rich families, but we're far from spoiled," he corrected her.

Buffy huffed and rolled her eyes. "Uh, Mr. Cockypants is a fine example of how _not_ spoiled you boys are," she pointed out sarcastically.

Caleb flinched. He knew Reid was all show and acted more on impulse, but he knew Reid since they were kids and he was far from what others would call a spoiled rich brat. Drop the 'spoiled' and 'rich' part and Reid Garwin was a brat. That was an obvious given.

"OK, there's a difference between spoiled brats and just plain ol' brats," he pointed out.

Buffy cocked an eyebrow at that, egging him to continue with his explanation as she was all ears.

"Reid's a brat, that I have to confess is true. But spoiled? He's no Randy Spelling or Sean Stewart. Reid messes around with us, but he's serious of his studies _and_ he doesn't flaunt his money around -- much."

Buffy was silent for the longest time. She was studying the young dark haired man standing before her defending his best friend's honour. She admired him for his loyalty. And she knew what he was talking about. She has done something akin to what Caleb Danvers was doing right now when it came to her own set of friends.

Caleb waited for Buffy to say something snarky back at him. He sensed she was itching to continue lambasting him for his apparent _naiveté_, but when all she did was give him a quick head to foot once over and turn her back to resume walking, he couldn't help but wonder what was on her mind. She was already three steps ahead of him when he finally joined her. He was about to apologize for his lack of interest in taking this patrolling seriously when Buffy suddenly stopped, her whole body tensed and she was moving her head from side to side as if she sensed or heard something. He made a move to continue on walking, but she put out her arm and blocked him.

"We're not alone," she said in a hushed voice and as quiet as a cat she started to move. She was on full alert and she reached for something hidden inside her black leather jacket.

Caleb couldn't quite see what it was, but he knew the blonde woman reached for a concealed weapon.

"Prepare to use your mojo, Caleb, because whatever this thing is that I'm sensing ain't friendly," she warned him before a black figure jumped out from the dark right at where Buffy stood. Something shiny flashed over the figure's head and a hiss of metal sliced the air.

Caleb saw the metal coming down on Buffy and on instinct he flicked his wrist, sending the figure flying down the street and landed skidding down the muddy road. The last snow fall fell a week ago and with the temperature rising lately it turned the streets and roads to mush, melting the snow.

"_Watch out!_" Buffy called in alarm before hurtling what looked to be a wooden at him. Correction, she hurtled the thing over his shoulder and whooshed past his ear to hit its target.

Caleb looked over his shoulder and saw the same figure he just rescued Buffy from fall with a thud on the ground a foot away from him. It didn't look to be hurt -- much, but it did delay whatever it was hidden under the hood from moving at its agile speed he saw it move when it was attacking Buffy. A quick glance at its cohort he sent sliding down the road told him that it too was getting back on its feet.

"Damn," hissed Buffy and grabbed his hand. "We gotta fight off these villains. You okay at hand-to-hand combat?" she asked.

"What?"

"You have to kick some ass here, Caleb. I know you used your magic to deflect that thing's attack, but as you can see, neither your magic nor my weapons can defeat them. It can only slow them down," she pointed out.

"So we'll have to fight them?"

"Yes!"

"I'm used to school ground brawl, but I don't often indulge in one," he admitted.

"Great. Well, whatever knowledge you have for defending yourself without the aide of your power, _use it!_"

Caleb mentally cussed as he kept up the running pace with the petite blonde. A quick glance over his shoulder showed that their two attackers were back to their hundred percent selves and were chasing after them. He kept an eye on the two figures and watched him shimmer out of view.

"What the fuck?" he frowned as he glanced back to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.

"What?" Buffy frowned and looked at him then somewhere over his shoulder. She slowed down her pace until they were speed walking. "Where did they go?" she asked.

"They just...disappeared."

"What?"

Caleb tore his gaze from where he last saw the two figures and met the blonde woman's startled gaze. "The figures. I saw them get up and chase after us. I kept on glancing over my shoulder to make sure they're not gaining on us, then all of a sudden they just disappeared into think air," he explained.

"You mean they phased out?"

"Yeah, or you can just say they apparated like those wizards in the Harry Potter books and movies."

"Great," she hissed. "C'mon, let's go back to the house. Let's just hope that Faith and the others got back without a run-in with whatever those things are."


	10. IX Messenger

**Disclaimer:** _The Covenant_ and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ are not of my own creation. They belong to Sony Pictures / J.S. Cardone & Joss Whedon.

**Summary:** His remains weren't found in ruins left by the burnt down barn. No one knew what happened to him or where he went, but he was back now and intent on draining the power of the one person he underestimated...

**Buffy's Covenant  
**by PhoenixRae

* * *

**IX. Messenger**

FAITH KNEW SHE WAS BEGINNING to annoy the temperamental blond, and as twisted as it might be, she was getting a kick outta tormenting Reid Garwin. Besides, it was his damn fault why he was christened 'Mr. Cockypants' by Willow.

"Where the hell are we going?" demanded Reid when he finally managed to break away from Faith's headlock grip on his neck.

"Hunting. Patrolling. You name it, we're doing it," was Faith's nonchalant reply.

Reid cocked an eyebrow. Faith just gave him a loaded answer, and if he was a sick, perverted hormonally driven teenager (which he was sometimes), he'd take _that_ as an invitation to get down and dirty with the feisty brunette. He let her walk ahead of him, his blue eyes moving slowly up and down the shapely woman's back. He was tempted to cup a feel of her bodacious behind hugged tightly by her favoured black leather pants. Her winter jacket fell just above her waist, leaving anyone and everyone to ogle at the sight of her backside.

Faith knew what the younger witch was doing. She could feel his eyes on her backside and she allowed herself a few seconds to enjoy being ogled before stopping and looking over her shoulder at him.

"Wipe that drool off your face, Cockypants. You can look but there's no way in hell you'll ever get to touch," she taunted.

"I wasn't drooling," Reid denied. "And you're not that hot regardless of what you think," he added.

Faith smirked and gave him a saucy once over. When their eyes locked once again, her smirk turned to a grin before she broke eye contact and resumed walking.

"You need to be taught a lesson, Cockypants. Your magic can't always save your ass," she paused for effect and glanced over her shoulder at him again. "Just take what happened to you today at the dojo."

"Do you _have_ to keep on rubbing that in?" he snarled and picked up the pace until he was walking alongside the brunette. "I was blindsided, alright?"

Faith let out a mocking laugh and dug her hands deeper into the front pockets of her pants. "God, is it really that hard for you to admit that you've just been ousted by a girl?"

"Faith..." Reid snarled.

"Hey, I know guys have big egos and whatnot, but Jesus, man! For once, can't you just _admit_ that a girl kicked your ass?"

"Willow just got lucky. And _why_ must she call me names?"

"What? You mean christening you Mr. Cockypants?"

Reid made a face when she repeated that dreadful pet name.

Faith chuckled and gave her head a firm shake. "That's just Willow. Just be glad she didn't give you a really sappy pet name." Faith shivered at the thought of any possible cutesy name the redhead might crop up with.

"You mean I could've been saddled with something _worse?_" Reid blanched at the thought.

"How'd you react to Sugarplum Honeybuns?" Faith smirked.

Reid nearly tripped over his own foot at the ridiculously sugary-sappy name Faith thought up.

"Oh hell no!"

Faith threw her head back and laughed when she saw the look of horror on the overly confident blond witch. She was bent sideways from laughing too much. Reid wasn't amused at first, but soon he found himself joining the brunette and they were both laughing their heads off. They were leaning on each other for support and gasping for some air as they tried to calm themselves.

"Jeez, Cockypants, I think _I_ have a new pet name for you," Faith teased once she has calmed herself.

"No, thank you, Faith. I'll stick with Cockypants for now," Reid insisted, cringing when he remembered the hideous pet name Faith came up with.

"Awww, isn't this sweet? Reid's finally got himself a girl," said a chillingly familiar voice.

Faith and Reid straightened up at the sound of the voice. They turned towards the direction of the voice and saw a figure step out from the shadows. He was tall, good looking and blond. His eyes were the same shade as the night sky.

"Chase," Reid growled beside Faith.

Faith felt the oddest sensation of powers crackling, and it was coming from both men with her.

Chase Collins smirked, but his eyes never wavered from watching Faith. "She's a pretty little doll, Reid. And _the_ perfect puppet to use as a messenger to Caleb."

Faith didn't know what the other guy was talking about. Everything happened so fast and before she could do something, she felt herself lifted off the ground and flung away from Reid at break-neck speed. She crashed hard against a high steel fence about two blocks away from where she and Reid were. The force knocked the breath out of her and made every bone in her body ache.

"_No!_" she heard Reid yell and against her blurry vision she saw a flash of something white and sparkly from where she believed Reid stood, it was aimed at the menacing figure that just knocked the breath out of her.

There was a back and forth exchange of those blinding bright flashes. Faith took a couple of seconds to orient herself and reached over her head to grip one of the bars and helped hoist herself back to her feet. She winced when she tried moving her other arm; she dislocated her shoulder, great. Picking up her speed she tried to reach Reid and help him out. He'd run out of juice soon if he continued to battle this Chase dude with magic. Pausing by a large tree, Faith took a deep breath and fixed her dislocated shoulder herself by using the large, sturdy tree trunk to brace herself against.

It hurt like the dickens, but at least her shoulder felt better and it helped her pick up her pace. She crept up quietly behind the other blond, bidding her time before she did a running kick attack, her feet landing square on the guy's back. She thought she heard his spine crack due to the impact. She landed flat on her feet, her stance ready to fight. A quick glance at Reid told her he had some scratches on him, but nothing too fatal.

"Are you okay?" she called out to him.

"Yeah. You?" he wheezed.

"Five by five," she smirked.

"Not for long," snarled the downed man and with a flick of his finger, he sent Faith flying once again, this time he aimed her to hit a broken tree branch with its pointy end sticking out.

"_Faith!_" Reid yelled in alarm and used his Power to veer her off course. He didn't get to stop her from flying or hitting something; she ended up crashing against a tree and that knocked her out, but at least she wasn't speared like a boar up on a tree.

"How gallant," snarled Chase. He was still juiced up, but Faith's attack on him caused some damage and he was wheezing out his words. "Tell Caleb I'll be waiting," he taunted before he sent Reid flying against a picket fence.

Reid momentarily lost consciousness, but it wasn't before he saw Chase disappear right before his very eyes. "What the fuck?" he muttered before everything around him turned to black.

* * *

**PhoenixRae's Notes:** OK, I'm picking up the pace here now. Ya'll might be wondering _why_ Chase attacked Reid and Faith instead of Caleb and Buffy since his beef was with Caleb. Don't worry, Chase has his reasons. We can't have Chase and Caleb face-off right away. He's evil. He's manipulative. And he's...well, I won't be giving too much away now. I'm just getting psyched here 'coz this story's starting to pick up pace! -LoL- And thanks to everyone who's reading and enjoying this fic so far. :) 


	11. X Message Delivered

**Disclaimer:** _The Covenant_ and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ are not of my own creation. They belong to Sony Pictures / J.S. Cardone & Joss Whedon.

**Summary:** His remains weren't found in ruins left by the burnt down barn. No one knew what happened to him or where he went, but he was back now and intent on draining the power of the one person he underestimated...

**Buffy's Covenant  
**by PhoenixRae

* * *

**X. Message Delivered**

OH MY GOD!" SHRIEKED DAWN when she answered the door and had Faith nearly fall on her, but thanks to Reid he managed to hold on to the knocked-out Slayer before she landed face first on the petite brunette. "_Help!_ Faith's down and Reid looks like shit too!" she yelled to the top of her lungs to the people gathered in the living room. She helped Reid steady Faith until she heard footsteps coming from the direction of the living room come to their rescue.

"We got her, Dawn," Robin took Faith's limp arm and looped it over his broad shoulders, relieving the young Summers woman off the Slayer's weight.

Dawn stepped aside and allowed Robin and Xander to carry Faith upstairs to her room. She noticed that Reid was about to pass out and grabbed him before he fell backwards.

"_Gotcha!_" She grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him forward. "Pogue, I need help here with Reid!" she called to the first person she saw loitering about.

"Here, I got him," announced the long haired teenager and took over helping Reid back into the house.

"Thanks," she smiled and stepped aside so Pogue could lead Reid to the living room. He didn't look worse than Faith, and he seemed to be fighting for consciousness at the moment. She closed and locked the door before following Reid and Pogue to the living room.

Pogue led a disoriented Reid on an armchair and helped him get settled. Willow soon appeared beside him with some salve for his bruises and Andrew was right behind her carrying some sort of drink. It smelled funny though and Dawn couldn't help from wrinkling her nose.

"What's that?" she asked and pointed at the glass on the tray Andrew was holding.

"Ask Willow. She just told me to make it," answered Andrew.

"Take that upstairs. It will help Faith heal faster or at least make her feel better. If Faith's as semi-conscious as Reid is here, she'll be able to drink that brew with a bit of assistance," Willow ordered and knelt down beside the groggy blond. "What happened?" she asked Reid, her face a mask of pure worry as she cleaned up the few cuts and bruises on his face and neck.

"We...were...attacked," Reid answered slowly, moaning and groaning each time he spoke each word out.

"Attacked?" Tyler squatted in front of Reid, his eyes searching his best friend's face. "Who attacked you?"

Reid only moaned. It was too painful for him to talk. The hits he took from Chase's attacks weren't the easy kinds. Sure he was thrown against a stack of bottles by Caleb that one time, but his best friend's attack was controlled; Caleb didn't mean to hurt him, he just wanted to prove a point to him. But Chase's attacks...holy shit, he wondered how Caleb survived it when he faced-off with the fucker during their senior year.

* * *

BUFFY PACED THE FOOT OF Faith's bed quietly, her arms locked securely across her midriff. Tonight she offered to stand guard just in case the attacker decided to finish off what he or she started. 

She and Caleb came back after the attempted attack on them while on patrol to a home in chaos.

Willow was tending to a badly beaten up Reid who hadn't uttered a word since he confessed they were attacked while on patrol. Upstairs she heard Xander and Robin restraining a struggling Faith; even when knocked out of consciousness she was still a tough fighter; Robin ended up sporting a nice shiner courtesy of Faith while Xander dodged a supposed shiner, but he ended up with a bruised shoulder when Faith's punch landed there instead.

When the door to Faith's bedroom cracked open a bit, Buffy was on full-on battle mode. She was ready to throw a punch or kick at whomever decided to creep in to Faith's room at the dead of the night.

"It's just me," Caleb announced, pushing the door wide open and let the light from the hallway spill in to the open doorway. "How is she?" he whispered and cocked his head to Faith's direction.

Buffy cast a forlorn look at the still unconscious Slayer. She just finished giving him the drink Willow prepared for her and managed not to spill it on either Faith or herself this time. She let out a long, strangled sigh then gestured with her head to Caleb to step out of the room. She left the door ajar and moved Caleb to the center of the hallway.

"She's out for the count but still fighting," she answered then hastily asked, "How's Reid? Has he said anything?"

"No. I think Faith's the one who received the brunt of the attack given...well," he gestured towards Faith's room and fell silent.

Buffy understood what he was trying to say.

"Willow's giving them something to drink. I think she knows what happened but she's not telling," she mused.

"If Willow's as sensitive to sensing the Power as we do, then I think I might have an idea as to why she acted the way she did this evening."

Buffy's eyebrows furrowed at the center. "What are you talking about?"

Caleb moistened his suddenly dry lips and met the petite blonde's eyes. "When Powers are used, it sends a resonating vibe to those who possess magic in their system. Take what happened in the dojo this morning. Willow was in the basement with us and knocked Reid unconscious because she sensed Reid gathering enough Power force to use against you," he explained.

Buffy slowly processed what Caleb just explained to her. "So what you're saying is since you're a witch and Willow's a witch and you're both powerful witches, when someone uses their magic you _feel_ it?"

Caleb smiled at her paraphrasing. "Yeah," he nodded. "It's not complicated. Not all of us can sense it. I mean, I can sense Reid, Pogue and Tyler when they use their Powers because we're all connected by the Covenant. I don't know how Willow managed to tap in to that. I was impressed, actually, when she told us that she sensed it hence why she came to your rescue this morning. That means Willow's one helluva witch," he grinned.

"That she is," Buffy agreed. "But wait, so you said you can sense if one of your friends uses _their_ powers, right?"

Caleb nodded.

"Did you sense Reid use his this evening?"

"No."

"What?" Buffy looked flabbergasted. "I thought you guys were connected through your magic?"

"We are. And since we Ascended, the four of us made a pact that we'd _always_ be connected so we know when one is in danger or abusing his Powers."

"Reid and Faith were attacked this evening," she reminded him. "Obviously Reid used _his_ magic to fend for himself and help him and Faith escape danger."

"It's obvious that Reid used his Powers. But while they were being attacked, I wasn't able to sense _anything_," he confessed.

"What do you mean?"

"Reid's Power use was blocked, of that I am very sure of. I don't know if he and Faith were attacked the same time _we_ were attacked or if they were attacked sooner or later. I asked Pogue and Tyler if they sensed anything, and they didn't either."

"But Willow sensed it. Or at least she did because according to Dawn and Andrew she started right away on making that drink and salve for the wounds Faith and Reid sustained," she mused, remembering what Dawn explained to her when she walked in and everyone was fussing over Reid who passed out completely on the armchair Pogue put him on.

"Did you ask her if she sensed or knew what attacked them?"

Buffy shook her head. She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist, breaking eye contact with Caleb and concentrating her gaze elsewhere.

Caleb let out a disgruntled sigh. He looked at a spot over Buffy's head and tried to think of what prompted the full-on attack on Reid and Faith. Why weren't they -- Buffy and himself -- brutally attacked the way Reid and Faith were attacked? And why were Giles, Pogue and Tyler spared from being attacked? Who was the mastermind behind this? And most importantly, why?

"We need to be careful," he said after a while.

Buffy agreed. "Until we know what we're up against, we need to be _extra_ careful and ready to fight at a drop of a hat."

Caleb nodded.

"I'll talk to Willow tomorrow and ask her what she knows, _if_ she knows anything at all," she told him. "You go on back to sleep and look after Reid. I'll be watching Faith." She turned to go back to Faith's room, but Caleb clamped his hand around her arm, stopping her from taking a step.

"I was heading downstairs to grab something to drink. Do you want me to grab you something or make you something? Coffee perhaps?" he offered.

"Thanks. But I'll be fine. You go on and grab something to drink. We've had enough of the excitement for one day," she gingerly removed his hand from her arm and escaped back to Faith's room.

Caleb remained standing where Buffy left him out in the hallway. He watched until the petite blonde woman closed the door after her. After seeing her handle herself when caught in a tight situation, Caleb was more than determined to learn basic hand-to-hand combat and understand exactly _what_ kind of evil they were up against.


	12. XI Who Did This?

**Disclaimer:** _The Covenant_ and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ are not of my own creation. They belong to Sony Pictures / J.S. Cardone & Joss Whedon.

**Summary:** His remains weren't found in ruins left by the burnt down barn. No one knew what happened to him or where he went, but he was back now and intent on draining the power of the one person he underestimated...

**PhoenixRae's Notes:** First & foremost I'd like to take this chance to thank each and everyone of you who are currently enjoying this fic. As far as the pairings are concerned...well, I'm still uncertain who will end up with whom, but based on whatever hints I'm dropping, I'm pretty sure you can guess who is who's love interest. -winks-

**Buffy's Covenant  
**by PhoenixRae

* * *

**XI. Who Did This?**

FAITH AND REID DIDN'T REGAIN consciousness until the following day. Both were still feeling sore from the fight they had, but thanks to Willow's special brew it helped ease the brunt of the pain they ought to be feeling at the moment. Reid didn't mind staying in bed the rest of the day, but Faith had be to threatened by Buffy and the rest of the household since the brunette Slayer wanted to get up and patrol and hunt down the person responsible for her and Reid's current state.

"How's Faith?" Caleb asked when he ran into Buffy in the kitchen.

The petite blonde seemed jumpy, especially around him, since last night and he didn't know why. Caleb got the feeling that she was annoyed with him too -- and at Faith as well for some odd reason that he couldn't quite fathom.

"Faith's fine. Stubborn as a mule. How's Reid?" was Buffy's clipped reply.

"Reid's doing better. Willow's with him right now making sure he's not suffering from any side effects of whatever that drink was she gave him and Faith," he explained.

"That's good," she nodded. "Have you talked to Reid about what happened last night?"

"Not yet. Willow was fussing over him and threw the three of us out of our room."

"I see," she nodded. "Well, let me know if you find out anything."

"I sure will," he promised and stepped aside to let the blonde pass.

"She's pissed at you, you know?" Dawn said once Buffy cleared the room.

Caleb turned and came face to face with Buffy's kid sister, her glare piercing a hole through his skull.

"I got the vibe, yeah. Why?"

"Because you obviously know something and you're not sharing it."

Caleb gave the petite brunette a blank stare. Dawn continued glaring at him, her arms crossed firmly over her midriff and cocked an eyebrow for more effect.

"What are you talking about?" Caleb decided to fib his way out of this suddenly sticky situation. He doesn't want to earn _two_ enemies in the form of the Summers sisters.

"You know, you're cute, but dense," she said and walked past him and followed her sister out the kitchen.

Caleb must've had the word WHAT written all over his face when he faced the other occupants of the kitchen. Andrew, Tyler and Pogue were in there helping with dinner. At first he didn't recognize his two friends since the kitchen wasn't really a familiar place to find those two.

"Summers sisters -- they like to be cryptic," supplemented Andrew before turning his back to Caleb and continued cutting whatever it was he had in mind to prepare for dinner.

* * *

ARE YOU READY TO TALK?" Buffy demanded when she walked in to Faith's room and found the Slayer sitting upright and watching cartoons on TV. 

"Talk about what, B?" was Faith's glib reply, her eyes not straying away from the television screen.

"About last night."

"What about last night? Reid and I were beaten to a pulp. I'm thankful Cockypants saved me from being skewered alive, but I have to say his aim was what did me in," she winced.

"Reid was already tired, but I'd rather he slam you against a tree trunk than you ending up with a broken tree branch entering one part of your body and coming out the other," Buffy snapped.

Faith frowned and finally looked away from the TV and met her sister Slayer's annoyed gaze. "What's got your panties in a knot, B? Cockypants and I were attacked. _We_ didn't go out there looking for trouble. Trouble found _us_," she explained to her.

"I'm aware of that," Buffy agreed.

"Then what's with the bitchiness?"

"You and Reid faced-off with the Big Bad we're after. Tell me what you know and what happened," she demanded.

Faith cocked an eyebrow. "How'd you know it was the Big Bad itself that attacked us?"

"Call it a hunch."

Faith didn't believe her. She studied the blonde Slayer for the longest time, noting every body movement and breathing pattern.

"You were eavesdropping," she accused once she was done studying her.

"What?" Buffy looked aghast at being accused of doing such.

"C'mon B, you won't be this gung-ho if you weren't standing outside when Caleb came in here and talked to me last night," she cajoled.

"I wasn't eavesdropping," she denied, "and why would you talk to _him_ and not me?" she demanded. "Besides, Caleb was already asleep when I stepped out to go to the bathroom," she added.

Faith cocked an eyebrow. "Did you check up on him before you went to the little girls' room?" she teased.

Buffy made a face at her sister Slayer and demanded why she'd talk to Caleb about their attacker and not with her, the one person whom she's known practically since she moved from Boston to Sunnydale and now here to Cleveland.

"Because apparently this Big Bad we're dealing with is someone the four of them dealt with before and supposedly kicked its ass to God knows where," Faith deadpanned.


End file.
